The Clippers' plane had to stop to let Byron Mullens off yesterday after he got traded

The Clippers' plane had to stop to let Byron Mullens off yesterday after he got traded

The NBA trade deadline is a pretty exciting day for fans hoping their team could make the big move at any moment that could right the Brett Brown ship with eight holes in it. But it's obviously not all that fun for those who actually play in the league whose place of residence and work could be drastically altered in a matter of moments all by the decisions of a couple of GMs.

Comcast SportsNet interviewed Evan Turner 15 minutes after the 3:00 pm deadline had passed and he spoke about finishing out the season in Philadelphia. He hadn't yet heard of being dealt to Indiana just yet.

But that doesn't seem nearly as bad as what happened to Byron Mullens and the Clippers. They were sitting on the runway in L.A. waiting to head to Memphis for a game but apparently their plane was having some issues so they just kept sitting there like normal shlubs.

"No one was really talking. We were looking around and the captain said [the delay was caused by] bad weather and we're like, 'Yeah, bulls---, we're waiting for that trade deadline.' I'm just glad it's over.

In fact, the plane began moving shortly before the noon PT deadline in Los Angeles but then had to stop.

"I think anybody who knows me or who has played with or against me along the road here, knows that I am not that kind of player," Manning said, according to a statement released by the Flyers. "I am not out there intentionally trying to hurt people. I'm a guy who plays the game hard and I take pride in that."

Gretzky didn't mind seeing that fire in McDavid, saying competitiveness is part of what makes the great ones great. And he said the targeting comes with the territory of being a superstar. It was something he and Mario Lemieux dealt with, too.

"And Connor, he's going to get tested every night, but this is not new for him," Gretzky said Friday at the NHL board of governors meetings. "He's been tested since he was a kid and then playing junior hockey and now in the NHL and he's always responded and done his part."